Amy Rose and Sonic

[Diogenes]

(i.e. a couple years in the future of the current timeline)

I've still yet to see anyone provide any evidence that this is the case.

Also, while the specific events aren't applicable if the game isn't canon, I think it says something that Sega allowed them to have that option. If they were strictly against the possibility, they could've had it cut...

[Flyboy Fox]

I've still yet to see anyone provide any evidence that this is the case.

While I can't give you specific proof of the exact time-frame, there's no doubt that it's at least a while in the future of current canon. Eggman is presumed dead, and Sonic's friends are miffed that he's been gone a while. But either way, Sonic/Amy would still have to happen in a game dated AFTER the events of Chronicles (and thus after a conclusion to Chronicles' cliff-hanger) if the game is canon. Since a sequel is as good as certainly not happening, accepting Chronicles as canon effectively kills Sonic/Amy in any other game.

Ironic, really, since it has the most Sonic/Amy in it of any game so far.

Also, while the specific events aren't applicable if the game isn't canon, I think it says something that Sega allowed them to have that option. If they were strictly against the possibility, they could've had it cut...

There is a big difference between 'possibility' and 'absolute canon'. I have nothing against hints, alternate paths, etc. But it's much harder for her to be accepted as canon in a relationship with Sonic without the choice to opt out. There's no reason to make it canon when the current set-up allows hints for supporters without alienating those that don't want to see it. It works well the way it is, so why do something that would piss off a lot of folk just to please one section?

[Diogenes]

While I can't give you specific proof of the exact time-frame, there's no doubt that it's at least a while in the future of current canon. Eggman is presumed dead, and Sonic's friends are miffed that he's been gone a while.

Presumed dead, following an event in the intro. Sonic and friends attack Eggman, Eggman is presumed dead, time passes, the rest of Chronicles happens, then other games happen. No need to put the game constantly in the future. No reason to put the game constantly in the future.

But either way, Sonic/Amy would still have to happen in a game dated AFTER the events of Chronicles (and thus after a conclusion to Chronicles' cliff-hanger) if the game is canon. Since a sequel is as good as certainly not happening, accepting Chronicles as canon effectively kills Sonic/Amy in any other game.

That Chronicles isn't getting a sequel when it has a blatant cliffhanger ending should be enough to declare it isn't canon, so.

But it's much harder for her to be accepted as canon in a relationship with Sonic without the choice to opt out.

Give it a few years. As I said, things are changing...

There's no reason to make it canon when the current set-up allows hints for supporters without alienating those that don't want to see it. It works well the way it is, so why do something that would piss off a lot of folk just to please one section?

Good stories don't happen if the author doesn't have the balls to risk pissing people off.

[Flyboy Fox]

Good stories don't happen if the author doesn't have the balls to risk pissing people off.

A lot of crap happens that way too. More crap than good, if recent 'ballsiness' is anything to go by >_>

And again... serious romance beyond light hints is simply unnecessary in an action genre that could benefit far more from other development in regards to characters. There simply is no reason to go down that path when things are fine the way they are. Given the potential backlash, and the lack of adding anything to gameplay, playability, overall ratings... WHY should they "risk pissing people off"?

Pairing Sonic with Amy is not going to pull in any more fans/potential buyers. The majority of Sonic gamers aren't in it for that. Fandom is only a tiny part of their sales, and canonically pairing Sonic and Amy would only have any impact on them.

[KittyNakajima]

A lot of crap happens that way too. More crap than good, if recent 'ballsiness' is anything to go by >_>

And again... serious romance beyond light hints is simply unnecessary in an action genre that could benefit far more from other development in regards to characters. There simply is no reason to go down that path when things are fine the way they are. Given the potential backlash, and the lack of adding anything to gameplay, playability, overall ratings... WHY should they "risk pissing people off"?

Pairing Sonic with Amy is not going to pull in any more fans/potential buyers. The majority of Sonic gamers aren't in it for that. Fandom is only a tiny part of their sales, and canonically pairing Sonic and Amy would only have any impact on them.

Whoa. I don't think anyone here was asking/saying that they wanted a serious romance in the games. A little bit probably wouldn't hurt anything, and definitely not looking for it to be to the extreme that it is in the Archie comics. Hell no. I'll restate again that the way they have them developing now along with the occasional public display of affection and the mention of dates/get togethers probably isn't going to kill the action. That is, unless SEGA ever decided to make a game featuring heavily on that aspect. *shrug*

Also, pairing Sonic with Amy probably couldn't alienate any more fans/potential buyers that recent fandom wank/SEGA themselves hasn't done on its own. Non Sonic fans rag on other aspects of the series such as the lack of speed, new characters every game, gimmicks to fandom related things such as some being anal about what eye color or name a certain character has. There's already a lot to bitch about, so why not?

I really don't see how going about it the way they're going about it in the chance it might become a light hearted romance would really hurt the series as a whole.

P.S. - And yes, I am aware that "romance" technically applied in Next Gen, but a lot of Non Sonic fans weren't liking the 180 degree turn from lighthearted to serious. The interspecies fling they had going on was the icing on the cake and the easiest thing to ridicule in that whole disaster of a game.

[RedYellowBlueCR]

Why are we all talking about Amy? Shouldn't we all be talking about Madonna? lol

Anyways, I really wouldn't care for a actual coupling between Sonic and Amy. I think that would take away from his personality. He wants to be a free spirit, and that's the quality I love so much about him.

[LunarEdge]

Why are we all talking about Amy? Shouldn't we all be talking about Madonna? lol

Anyways, I really wouldn't care for a actual coupling between Sonic and Amy. I think that would take away from his personality. He wants to be a free spirit, and that's the quality I love so much about him.

But yet people we're going crazy when Elise kissed Sonic, but when the idea of this Madonna being a love interest for Sonic no one says a thing.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind if Sonic and Amy got together but Sonic is too OCD to be in any sort of relationship. One second he's relaxing in a beach chair and next second he ran half way across the world. Imagine they had kids! Sonic would never be home to watch the little bastard.

[gato]

But yet people we're going crazy when Elise kissed Sonic, but when the idea of this Madonna being a love interest for Sonic no one says a thing.

Not trying to sound rude (but probably will) but I think a lot of people let the Madonna thing go because it never happened (tought technically, Elise never happened either).

Also, I think it's one of those "it's so bad it's awesome" things.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind if Sonic and Amy got together but Sonic is too OCD to be in any sort of relationship. One second he's relaxing in a beach chair and next second he ran half way across the world. Imagine they had kids! Sonic would never be home to watch the little bastard.

WOAH!

I don't... think anyone suggested that...

Edited April 13, 2010 by imarafan

[Flyboy Fox]

I suppose it's an argument that no one can really win, as those who want to see it happen will find plenty of reason why it should, and those who don't will find equal amount of reason for it not happening. In the end, all we can do is wait and see what SEGA decides to do.

But I do personally think it would be a shame if we were force-fed a 'truth' either way - whether it's them becoming official OR Sonic outright saying he'll never get serious. Surely it's far more fun to speculate? (;

[LunarEdge]

Not trying to sound rude (but probably will) but I think a lot of people let the Madonna thing go because it never happened (tought technically, Elise never happened either).

Also, I think it's one of those "it's so bad it's awesome" things.

WOAH!

I don't... think anyone suggested that...

I was just saying is all. I know the Madonna thing never happened but the idea of it still stands. I was half kidding/serious about the having a child thing simmer down XD

[doc a doc]

I don't think that the whole pairing thing with Sonic doesn't really work for anyone. Sonic is a free spirit, he can't really be that with a girlfriend tying him down. And that whole Black Knight thing, Sonic could have said no and she probably would have hammered him into submission. It is a running gag, after all.

[Flyboy Fox]

That's the other thing. Is IS a running gag. It's funny. Initially it wasn't even meant to be anything more than a gag, as Sonic was categorically stated to never ever be tied down. Of course, that didn't allow for the character development that Amy went through - I'm almost certain that she was never initially intended to become as developed as she has been. And because she HAS been developed and become more than just the lovestruck damsel in distress, it's right that she should be treated as more than just an ongoing joke. But still, the gag remains and I enjoy seeing it in most games. It's funny. I just don't feel that particular aspect (her chasing Sonic and him not being romantically interested) needs to be messed with EVEN if it's perfectly fine and good even that they are becoming closer as friends.

[Genesis]

There's nothing "sudden" about it. They've been playing with the relationship between Sonic and Amy since SA, and it has, slowly, turned towards something that could lead to a romantic relationship.

And I'm not saying they could get away with it if they made them a couple in the next game, either. They've laid the groundwork, but there's still more to do if they want to take it in that direction. Unless they really balls it up, there's no way it could be taken as "sudden".

This....

Romance is a character interaction as valid as any other. It needs to be handled more carefully than some others, but to say there's no place for it is to imply the same for friendship, rivalry, mortal enemies, and so on. And the "status quo" is not as stable as you make it sound. There's more to their relationship than a binary "dating or not" switch, and they damn sure aren't in the same place they were in SA (or SA2, or Heroes, or Battle...)

and this.

Good stories don't happen if the author doesn't have the balls to risk pissing people off.

And definitely This!

Those quotes right there are exactly how I feel about the current situation between Sonic and Amy. I'm glad they are moving forward with their relationship otherwise it would be boring to have it the same as they were in SA. The fact that they are moving them closer together at a natural pace as the series goes on is proving to be beneficial to both charterers and their relation to one another.

I already posted in length why I wouldn't have any qualms with Amy eventually becoming Sonic's girlfriend in this very topic

Also, pairing Sonic with Amy probably couldn't alienate any more fans/potential buyers that recent fandom wank/SEGA themselves hasn't done on its own. Non Sonic fans rag on other aspects of the series such as the lack of speed, new characters every game, gimmicks to fandom related things such as some being anal about what eye color or name a certain character has. There's already a lot to bitch about, so why not?

I too find it hard to believe that people are going to be pissed off and not buy games anymore simply because Amy became Sonic's girlfriend O_o. Especially when Sega is treating their relationship more as a small subplot element to the main story. It's not like it's a huge focus to the story where the audience is overwhelmed.

I don't think casual gamers are going to be turned off by a Sonic game because Amy is his girlfriend. If it's not cutting into most of the action and it's just a detailed element of the story, I don't see the problem. I can't see someone finally playing a great Sonic game with a good overall story saying "oh the game sucked because Sonic has girlfriend" lol Thats silly. I don't even think Sonic fans who don't like the pairing are going to swear off Sonic games just because Amy became his girlfriend. I think they can find more valid reasons to swear off the games then that.

And like Diogene said, even if they became official, it's not going to stop fans from writing and drawing what they would like to happen. Even if it's not close to official. They can freely continue to support who they like.

Edited April 14, 2010 by Genesis

[Way Past Cool]

Anyway, I wouldn't mind if Sonic and Amy got together but Sonic is too OCD to be in any sort of relationship. One second he's relaxing in a beach chair and next second he ran half way across the world.

I think you're getting your disorders swapped. Now I can't stop picturing Sonic obsessively buckling and unbuckling his shoes a specific number of times before dashing off. XD

Anyway! I'm of the mindset that the Amy and Sonic thing is much more a gag and less of a serious matter for the most part. Yeah, the option is there to view it more seriously and that's fine. The Sonic games have come this far without having to have a SERIOUS romantic subplot. That's not to say I think Sonic COULDN'T fall in love with someone or even that he already hasn't. Who knows? But does it need to be featured in the games? I don't think so.

Best left to personal interpretation gets my vote.

[Badnik Zero]

About what I said about Amy needing development... it just occurred to me that she's not much more than a fangirl when it comes to her characterization. So I wanna ask, what does Amy become when she stops being a fangirl and starts being a girlfriend. She's kind of a bland character past that, yeah?

[Way Past Cool]

About what I said about Amy needing development... it just occurred to me that she's not much more than a fangirl when it comes to her characterization. So I wanna ask, what does Amy become when she stops being a fangirl and starts being a girlfriend. She's kind of a bland character past that, yeah?

I think some fans might argue that there's more to Amy than her obsession with Sonic, or even that there NEEDS to be more to Amy than her obsession with Sonic. To me, I think her comical obsession with Sonic and the way Sonic runs away and grimaces and kicks up a fuss is much more entertaining.

And if they ever did decide to develop Amy beyond that, would it need to be by making her Sonic's girlfriend? Couldn't they go the other way and have her get over Sonic? Either way, I think it should stay the way it is now.

Edited April 14, 2010 by Way Past Cool

[KittyNakajima]

I think some fans might argue that there's more to Amy than her obsession with Sonic, or even that there NEEDS to be more to Amy than her obsession with Sonic. To me, I think her comical obsession with Sonic and the way Sonic runs away and grimaces and kicks up a fuss is much more entertaining.

And if they ever did decide to develop Amy beyond that, would it need to be by making her Sonic's girlfriend? Couldn't they go the other way and have her get over Sonic? Either way, I think it should stay the way it is now.

Well, if her portrayal in titles such as the Adventure series or Chronicles are anything to go by, I'd say that Amy is pretty much a sweet, kind girl at heart based on some of the things that she does while not immediately worrying about how to win Sonic's heart. I thought the way she helped and protected that bird in Adventure was a nice testament to her character since she never lost sight of her promise to the bird while juggling her feelings for Sonic and evading Zero. I also find it interesting that she didn't really want to fight at all during that title until the bird was hurt, since most of her game play focused on just using enough force to stun Zero to get away.

How she talks to people was also something I found interesting, as she was able to reason with both Gamma and Shadow without resorting to violence or force all on her own. If Sonic can change things through his actions, Amy pretty much is able to do that with words.

Edited April 14, 2010 by KittyNakajima

[Glenn]

Amy Rose and Sonic, yay or nay?

NAY!!

Sonic is a free spirit. He forms relationships he wants to (brotherly love with Tails, friendly rivalry with Knuckles, etc. etc.) and absolutely should never have one forced upon him. Amy is a selfish brat for thrusting herself upon Sonic the entire time, especially when he's in the middle of an important task like, oh, saving the freakin' world from evil, or whatever! And she's got an annoying voice. And she's too over-the-top girly-girl, she's a properly stereotypical "we're appealing to the female market and making everybody else vomit" character.

Also, depends on how you view the franchise. Classic purists will know what I'm talking about (with the exception of Sonic CD, naturally).

[Thirsty Pocket]

I normally don't support pairings, but that's because a lot of people online put way too much focus on them and their "Shipping" and all that. Really makes my skind crawl. But that's not to say I don't have pairings of my own personal preference in every game and show/comic that I am into.

I totally dig Sonic and Amy as a pair, but the characterization they gave to Amy in Sonic Heroes onward really got under my skin... But I dismiss it as "Sega is full of idiots. Let's pretend it didn't happen that way."

But romance gives me the hives, and I can't stand it in the least bit in a series where it does not fit. If romance had to be put into Sonic at all, I would like for it to be handled like it was in Dragonball. Barely Touched upon, but pretty obviously there. I'd love to see a Sonic and Amy relationship that Mirrors Goku and Chichi, except for the part where they have children before the series ends. Goku wasn't exactly unlike Sonic himself. A free spirit who doesn't normally stay in one spot, even after being married, he would travel pretty far from home and be home in time for dinner. Unlike with a lot of anime, I was never disgusted by half of the romance on screen with Dragonball, I was actually happy to see those little moments they had. If Sonic could handle relationships like Dragonball, I'd be pretty happy.

[Octarine]

But romance gives me the hives, and I can't stand it in the least bit in a series where it does not fit. If romance had to be put into Sonic at all, I would like for it to be handled like it was in Dragonball. Barely Touched upon, but pretty obviously there. I'd love to see a Sonic and Amy relationship that Mirrors Goku and Chichi, except for the part where they have children before the series ends. Goku wasn't exactly unlike Sonic himself. A free spirit who doesn't normally stay in one spot, even after being married, he would travel pretty far from home and be home in time for dinner. Unlike with a lot of anime, I was never disgusted by half of the romance on screen with Dragonball, I was actually happy to see those little moments they had. If Sonic could handle relationships like Dragonball, I'd be pretty happy.

As much as the minimalist approach to romance in Dragon Ball was just a tactic by Akira Toriyama to get out of having to write "mushy stuff" because he was afraid he was terrible at it, it definitely worked in its own way. There's something intriguing about the relationships in that series, I think, largely because of how little we know about them. It's tantalizing: even though the characters are together, there's so much that we don't see of them that they keep a lot of the appeal of characters who are still in will-they-or-won't-they mode. It makes for perfect fanfic fodder, even if it's technically lazy.

Part of the reason it worked was because of the absurd number of timeskips in Dragon Ball (two characters need to get together? Uhh, skip five years and give them a kid), but something roughly like that would probably be the best solution for Sonic if the series ever indulged in romance. Not timeskips, that is, or children. Ugh. The, uh, the general tone of Dragon Ball, is sort of what I meant.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Octarine

[Genesis]

Sonic is a free spirit. He forms relationships he wants to (brotherly love with Tails, friendly rivalry with Knuckles, etc. etc.) and absolutely should never have one forced upon him.

That sounds as if Sonic isn't Amy's friend at all or doesn't want to be. It's a fact that Sonic and Amy are friends. They do at least care enough about each other to help the other one out. And if the recent games are any indication, Sega/Sonic Team are suggesting there is more to that.

Amy is a selfish brat for thrusting herself upon Sonic the entire time, especially when he's in the middle of an important task like, oh, saving the freakin' world from evil, or whatever!

Amy has never deliberately stood in Sonic's way to save the world. More often then not she's has helped him in small ways to complete his task.

And she's too over-the-top girly-girl, she's a properly stereotypical "we're appealing to the female market and making everybody else vomit" character.

This quote is a bit offensive.

I don't know how she's an over the top girly girl when she's proven to be pretty athletic and somewhat competitive through the games (boxercising, airboarding, a bit of gymnastics, etc) . It's not like she is constantly talking about shopping and is scared of bugs.

And whats wrong with being a girly girl, or in other words feminine?

There are plenty of strong females who are feminine. And whats wrong trying to appeal to females? Amy appeals to me and I'm female, so that makes it bad? Last I checked Amy didn't just have fans that were only female, she has male fans too.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Genesis

[Glenn]

This quote is a bit offensive.

I don't know how she's an over the top girly girl when she's proven to be pretty athletic and somewhat competitive through the games (boxercising, airboarding, a bit of gymnastics, etc) . It's not like she is constantly talking about shopping and is scared of bugs.

And whats wrong with being a girly girl, or in other words feminine?

There are plenty of strong females who are feminine. And whats wrong trying to appeal to females? Amy appeals to me and I'm female, so that makes it bad? Last I checked Amy didn't just have fans that were only female, she has male fans too.

My apologies. I didn't mean to offend, truly I didn't.

I just mean to say that Amy is the only steady female "hero" representation (Rouge the Bat is morally vague and, hey, a thief. Blaze the Cat isn't what I'd call a regular) and she's pretty one-dimensional for a character with such an important mandate. She's clearly been written to be as sterotypical as possible: bright pink, obsessed with chasing a boy... and I admit, much of this is based on my single worst experience of Amy Rose, namely Sonic Heroes. In that game, she did battle with Sonic midway through his quest to stop Dr. Eggman, and for what reason? Because she wanted Sonic to marry her, even though he clearly wasn't up for it (that goes a bit beyond friendship, in my book). Of course there isn't anything wrong with being feminine, but for one's sole existence is based around "being feminine" it gets tiresome. Amy is a bit of a cliche, I'm sorry to say.

And I didn't mean appealing to female gamers/fans is a bad thing, absolutely not... that would be pretty sick of me, to be honest, and I'm sorry you got that from what I said. I just feel that such a blatant, cheap and lazy way of doing it (sticking a pink character in there, akin to the Token Black Guy problem from 1990s television) isn't something I can get behind. Stronger, better female characters, for sure, love 'em. I'm a big fan of Blaze the Cat, actually. Loved her involvement in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and can't wait for Sonic Rush to arrive in the post tomorrow!

Look, I wrote that first post in somewhat of a flippant way. Please don't be offended!

[Badnik Zero]

How she talks to people was also something I found interesting, as she was able to reason with both Gamma and Shadow without resorting to violence or force all on her own. If Sonic can change things through his actions, Amy pretty much is able to do that with words.

So this is what I was calling Amy's "power of heart" in my other post. I think it's dumb and extremely typical of a pink girl character to be doing. It's not like she's any persuasive at all, if anything she's just as unassuming as Tails. She makes a plea, and as the happy little girl character, wins people over.

It's got to do with what you guys are talking about. I agree with Glenn that Amy's got a few stereotypes attached to her. I can't see her run from ZERO without thinking of the "Ahh, ecchi!" reaction by anime girls to creepy men. Am I the only one who makes the connection? My ideal portrayal of Amy is an ordinary girl who finds herself in trouble a lot, because of her need for adventure. I think rather than being infatuated with Sonic himself, she's more attracted to the excitement he brings. Does she follow him into space because she wants to be with him, or because she loves doing it? I kinda agree with the Shadow shippers here.

Shadow works because he's another hedgehog who offers that kind of excitement. He's a little moody for her though. I don't think she enjoys talking people over, it's just something she does when she needs to. It's good that she's not another damsel in distress, but I feel like the action girl side of her was just to make her less helpless in gameplay. The Piko Hammer was introduced in a fighting game, for a character who you'd otherwise expect to be harmless. So I'd like to see her move away from fangirl into a character with more reason to be around. It's obvious adventure is one of those things... I dunno exactly what else she can add.

[Way Past Cool]

To be fair, I think a lot of the cast has fallen into the pre-packaged anime sterotypes, but yeah, Amy is certainly a good example of that.

Try as some fans might, I just don't see Amy as a particularly dynamic character. As Glenn says, as the only constant female character, it's kinda sad how she 'represents'. Yeah, she's shown she can hold her own... not saying she's physically useless, but it's like when a TV show brings in the "token black guy" and makes him do all the things people would "expect" of him.

And furthermore, who's to even say that she's Sonic's type? Is it just because she's the only female constantly around? A lot of people say that Sonic's too free-spirited for romance, but that's totally discounting the posibility that he could fall for someone who could give him the freedom he needs. Plenty of relationships work that way.

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent I guess. Again, I think that Sonic's love life is best left to the interpretation of the fans, and best kept out of the games.

[Unionhack]

Sonic's a character of free spirit, willpower, and an explorer always on the move. Thus, it wouldn't really fit with Sonic's personality to settle down. However, it's Sonic Team's decision, I guess, so we'll just have to wait.